2452. Cheltenham 2018 (1)

This is an unmistakable piece by My Dog Sighs, which was one of several little ‘gifts’ left behind in Cheltenham by him at the Paint Festival in 2018. Having never been to a Cheltenham Art Festival before I was discovering so many of these beauties for the first time this year. I love this photograph… there is something about the placement of the piece on this particular wall and its immediate environment, such as the carpet and the weeds that come together to make an outstanding image.

My Dog Sighs, Paint festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019
My Dog Sighs, Paint festival 2018, Cheltenham, September 2019

I don’t think I’ll ever tire of these eyes, and although they are one of My Dog’s trademark pieces, each is individual and independent of the others. The most amazing thing about this one is how you can look at it and in your mind know that it is on a flat surface, but the skillful artwork has a depth and the shine on the iris makes it look aqueous, just like a real eye. Magnificent in so many ways.

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2451. Cheltenham 2019 (1)

What a cracker! This is an absolutely stunning piece by Dice67, AKA Andy ‘Dice’ Davies, the architect and organiser of the Cheltenham Paint Festival which was held this year on 5-8 September. This colourful piece is a portrait of Debbie Harry and I think is probably the best freehand piece I have seen from Dice67 yet.

I felt it appropriate to start my Cheltenham posts with this piece and I’ll be interweaving more of them into my regular posts over the coming weeks/months.

I have not been to Cheltenham since I was a little kid, and so on this visit I was able to catch up with some of the pieces from last year’s festival too, and they really are rather impressive. Dice67 has tried to find new walls each year of the festival so that the old ones can remain in all their glory alongside the new ones rather than being over-painted. Let’s hope he doesn’t run out of walls!

Dice67, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019
Dice67, Paint festival 2019, Cheltenham, September 2019

Back to this piece… it is so beautifully worked, especially the amazing reflections on the glasses, and this is all a far cry from his stencils which was my introduction to his work. There was a festival theme this year which I think was books and in this piece the link is that Debbie Harry will be atending the Cheltenham Book Festival later this year – Dice67 is rather hoping that she’ll be photographed standing next to this portrait of her. A great way to introduce the Cheltenham Paint Festival to Natural Adventures.

2450. Stokes Croft

This piece by Haka in Stokes Croft is of course a commentary on Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, a pair of demagogues currently in charge of two great democracies doing their best to appease the far right voter and in doing so sustain their power.

Haka, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2019
Haka, Stokes Croft, Bristol, September 2019

I’m not sure what cartoon/game character this piece is based on although I have seen it somewhere, but the Trump figure is in the belt of the Boris character and the two are inextricably joined by both philosophical and physical characteristics. Hats off to Haka for this delightful piece lampooning these two buffoons.

2449. Turbo Island

FTurbo Island is a dynamic spot in Bristol. It is in the heart of Stokes Croft and attracts a spectrum of visitors, many high or drunk, who use the space to sit and while away the day. It also has a nice wall that the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC) try to curate, but tagging is a real problem here which is a great shame.

Hazard, Turbo Island, Bristol, September 2019
Hazard, Turbo Island, Bristol, September 2019

I decided to go ahead and post this beautiful portrait by Hazard in spite of the tags because I don’t  think it had been up for much more than a day when I photographed it. I spoke to Hazard about it when I met her at the Cheltenham Art Festival and she was fairly philosophical about it and said ‘well it’s Turbo Island, isn’t it?’.

The portrait is another in shades of blue and red and is really beautiful. There is something even more annoying about the tags that are indiscriminate in their destruction, can’t the DBK lot appreciate beauty? Are they incapable of leaving some beautiful things alone? Untouched it would have looked a little bit like the pieces below:

 

Hazard, Stokes Croft, Bristol, December 2018
Hazard and Tasha Bee, M32, Bristol, January 2019

2448. St Werburghs tunnel (99)

I was lucky enough to run into Mr Draws when he was painting this piece at the entrance of St Werburghs tunnel and stopped for a chat with him. We hadn’t seen each other for a while, so it was good to catch up.

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019

The piece itself is typical of his street work at the moment. Bright and colourful, spelling out ‘draws’ and with a bit of a twist, which in this case is a mirror version of his name, and his wobbly outline which he has been favouring recently.

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019
Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019

I do like and have always liked his work which is always full of ideas and fun. He may not have the tightness of some of Bristol’s design writers but he is full of creativity and always turns out pieces that are easy on the eye.

2447. St Werburghs tunnel (98)

I am currently away in Cornwall on my annual sea fishing trip, and am finding it really difficult to keep up with these posts, so today’s contributions might be a little rushed.

Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019
Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019

This is yet another exceptional piece of writing from Fiva, where has superimposed two writing styles on top of each other and used different colours where the letters overlap. It is a very clever piece, skilfully painted, but I’d expect no less from this artist.

Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019
Fiva, St Werburghs, Bristol, August 2019

It is great also to see him include one of his characters on the left hand side of the piece. All very good indeed.